Alcator C-MOD Weekly Highlights
				Sept 24, 1996


	After approximately two days of glow discharge cleaning to reduce
boron hydride levels in the vessel, Alcator C-Mod was brought up to air.
No diborane alarms were detected, and we are proceeding with the removal of
vacuum flanges and associated hardware.  Igloo blocks are also being removed
to improve access to the ports and to gain access to the cryostat.  By
midweek the machine will be warm enough for cryostat disassembly to begin.
Bus work is being removed in preparation for rolling back the bus tunnel, and
diagnostic equipment and cabling are being moved away from the machine.
	As just mentioned, the new glow discharge system has been
operated successfully.  This equipment was installed during the last
up to air to provide the energetic ions needed to break down heavy boron
hydride compounds produced during boronization.  Such residue left during
boronizations using electron cyclotron discharge cleaning delayed
invessel work for over two weeks during our previous up to air period. Two
large area glow electrodes (approx 400 cm^2/electrode) are mounted at the top
of the vacuum vessel near the outer wall.  Each plate is connected via
isolation resistors to a 1000 volt, 5 amp, PLC controlled supply. The
electrodes are spaced 72 degrees apart toroidally.  Preliminary results
indicate that the glow discharge has been very effective at breaking down
the  boron compounds on the vessel wall. It also appears that it will prove
more effective at wall conditioning than ECDC.
	The DNB power supplies, modulator/regulator, and related equipment
are being arranged in the power room in the configuration we expect to use
for operation.  The beamline has not yet been shipped from Texas, though we
incorrectly reported last week that it had arrived in the first shipment.
Upon arrival, it will also be setup in the power room, and development
and testing will proceed there.
	Boris Grek, Dave Johnson, and Joe Bartelick from PPPL, working
with Spencer Pitcher and Tom Toland here at MIT, did a second Raman
calibration of the edge Thomson Scattering system before we brought the
machine up to air.  Results are being analyzed.
	Dr. K. Kondo from the Graduate Scool of Energy Science, Kyoto
University, is visiting C-Mod for the month of September. He is analyzing
spectroscopic measurements relating to molybdenum content, molybdenum
generation, and the effects of boronization on impurities in C-Mod.

Earl Marmar attended the SCICOM meeting in Madison, Wisconsin last week.